LG’s New Laser Projector Works Just 2 Inches Away From Your Wall

Projectors have the potential to render images with higher fidelity and at larger sizes than a traditional TV, but they used to require changes to your room setup. The days of mounting the projector in the middle of your space have come to an end with the advent of ultra short throw (UST) projectors. These devices can sit closer to the projection surface, and LG’s new CineBeam Laser 4K projector gets closer than ever. It needs just two inches of separation from the wall.

With the minimum 2-inch clearance, the CineBeam Laser 4K can project a 90-inch 4K image. If you can increase the distance to seven inches, the size goes up to 120 inches. The projector can also output 2,500 ANSI lumens, enough for the image to look good in average indoor lighting. LG also claims it has eliminated the image distortion endemic among ultra short throw projectors with the help of a new 12-point keystone adjustment feature.

LG is planning its big reveal for CES next month, so it hasn’t released all the specs for this device. We know that it will have USB, Ethernet, and HDMI ports, which gives you plenty of options for piping in content from your devices. If it’s anything like last year’s LG projectors, it will run on the WebOS smart TV platform with support for the company’s ThinQ AI features. So, you’ll probably be able to yell at your projector to make it do things.

The big question mark is, of course, the price. Last year’s LG short throw projectors were between $2,000 and $3,000 at launch. If it can get the new UST projector anywhere near that, it will be instantly leading the pack. Hisense has UST 4K projectors starting at $10,000, and Dell just put its UST laser system on sale for $4,800 (down from $6,000).

Continue reading

Protect Your Online Privacy With the 5 Best VPNs

Investing in a VPN is a smart choice right now, but the options are vast. To help narrow things down a bit, we've rounded up five of our very favorite consumer services.

EKWB Launches Peltier Cooler Powered by Intel Cryo Cooling Technology

Intel and EKWB have jointly announced a new waterblock that integrates a Peltier cooler.

Look Up: You Can See All the Planets in Our Solar System Tonight

You've probably seen diagrams of the solar system that place the planets in nice, orderly lines, but the truth is they're often on the other side of the sun from Earth. We happen to be going through a period during which all the planets are visible. You just have to know where and when to look.

How Apple Is Collecting Your Data in macOS Big Sur

Apple's new Big Sur has been accused of some serious privacy violations and unfriendly user-access controls. The situation is a bit more nuanced.